Displacement
by Mevolent
Summary: The single action of a powerful man can change the world forever, both muggle and magical. Out of desperation, Dumbledore casts an ancient spell at Grindelwald during their famous duel and Gellert is hurtled through dimensions. He goes to Hogwarts in the same year as Harry Potter and when the meet...the future changes.


**The Power of Time**

Chapter 1: The Duel

**The Duel**

**Berlin, (1945)**

The sky was alight with power, illuminated by the forks of lightening streaking down from the heavens and the orange explosions of artillery fire as the AA Guns targeted enemy aircraft. Streets were blackened by scorches of explosions, hollowed out ruins of houses decorating them in a haphazardly manner and the road looked as if it had been torn up by a tribe rampaging giants in a fit of anger, exposing the sewage and the filthy creatures that inhabited it. The bodies of strange men wearing purple robes were scattered across this scene, like children's toys discarded when they were bored with them.

_It's quite fascinating what you can do to a corps of fully trained auror corps with a bit of power and an extensive knowledge of dark curses, _thought Gellert idly, surveying the ruined street as he walked down it briskly, his robes fluttering behind him in the breeze as he moved.

Even if you did not know who he was, Gellert Grindelwald was a rather impressive sight. He was taller than most men with broad shoulders, a straight back and long, tapered fingers that were perfect for wrapping around a wand. If you took a look at him you would think he was thirty, rather than more than twice that age. He had luxurious blond hair that was neatly cut and brilliant blue eyes colder than the heart of winter that seemed to pierce into your soul. Added to the fact that he was an extremely powerful wizard who exuded an aura of strength and confidence, it was not surprising that if he was just a man you met in the street by chance he would turn your bowels to water without using magic.

At the moment he wore green robes that looked vaguely militaristic as he strolled down the street, casually blasting ruined tanks out of his way. _My empire is crumbling,_ he thought, fingers tightening around his wand. _Were had all went wrong?_

He had been doing excellently when he had first been voted in as Chancellor of Magic in Germany. In the space of 6 years he had brought down almost every ministry throughout Europe, sweeping through them all like Fiendfyre consuming a dry forest. They hadn't stood a chance. Another thing that helped was that his muggle counterpart at the time was a warmongering madman. His madness made him easier to manipulate, though Gellert did not have to do it very often. Just a few subtle hints here and there about what country to invade and what group of gypsies to avoid persecuting, as a large number of the gypsies were actually wizards.

During the year of 1942, he was at the height of his power, with legions of Aurors and Dark wizards to command. He had all the European ministries other than Russia and Britain under his thumb and to his delight, Albus had not intervened. Things were looking better than ever.

And then it had all ended.

The Russian ministry had suddenly launched an attack on the north east of his rule during the winter of 1943, crippling his control in that area with their surprising swiftness and ferocity. Almost simultaneously, the British and Americans had both signed a peace treaty with Russia. Slowly but surely, his territories in the north east began to fall and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Then the British had launched an unexpected attack in the heart of the French Ministry in 1944, led by Albus Dumbledore himself. The attack was so quick and well-executed that by the time he learnt of it, it was all over. After France had been 'liberated' , they started pushing forward from both the east and the west, squeezing his control until it finally burst, his once formidable army scattering until only a few hundred loyal wizards were left.

Soon after, he had received word that his Italian allies in the south had been defeated. Since that moment onwards, it seemed that he only received bad news. In a few short months his empire that he had vested so much time and effort into creating was undone. The real blow was when he had received word that they were sieging Berlin. Gellert knew that it was truly lost when they had the nerve to attack his capital. Dumbledore, who was now the commander of the 'Free' ministries as they were calling themselves now, would not have attacked if he was not assured of victory.

And this was why he was patrolling the streets, taking out his anger on vehicles and a couple of stray pigeons unfortunate enough to get in his way. He filled himself with his power, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he did so. Everything seemed _more_ somehow: the colours more vibrant, the sounds more crisp and the scents around him more potent.

But only a fool or a madman would want to feel those things more clearly when all the colours you could see were grey, black and a horrible blossoming orange as an aircraft of some type exploded overhead or when the only sounds were the rumble of thunder, the screams of men, gunfire and explosions. When the only smells were the charred flesh of the Auror division he had just destroyed, the burnt oil from exposed car engines and rotting sewage waste.

A muffled groan made him stop in his tracks and turn around to look for the source of noise. After casting an advanced detection spell, he determined that that there was a human male nearby and they were not under an invisibility cloak or concealed in any way involved with magic. Gellert held the 'skills' of Aurors in contempt and he did not believe that any of them were capable of casting a moderately powerful disillusion spell, but it never hurt to check. He had learnt through years of hard experience that caution is a dark wizard's best friend.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to detect if the person had an aura or not. It was a very difficult branch of magic: You could count the amount of people that could sense auras in the world in one hand without using all the fingers and it took decades of study and practise to even attempt detecting. But if someone could do something related to magic, it is almost guaranteed that Gellert could do it just as well if not better.

Feeling around the area with a tendril of power, his mind's eye identified an aura nearby that pulsed white and blue, contrasting with the now blurred and darkened landscape, and greatly resembled one of Saturn's rings. The colour of someone's aura depends on the type of magic they use: Light, Dark and Grey. Brightness of the aura also represents the amount of power that the wizard or magical creature has.

Judging from the colour and brightness, Gellert discerned that he was probably an auror who had survived his ambush. Grinning maliciously before resuming a stoic expression, he levitated the ruined car away from where he had seen the aura. To his delight, he found the battered and bloody body of a young auror who looked like he was just fresh from the training academy.

_Unlucky boy,_ thought Gellert with a small amount of what might have been pity as he levitated the Auror into mid-air and bound him in ropes with a flick of his wand. The auror struggled to raise his blood streaked head and tried to look at him in the eyes, showing confusion and relief before his eyes focused. He gasped suddenly, awe and terror evident in his face.

Gellert smiled at him before saying quietly, "Who are you?" In an educated, smooth tone.

The man shook in fear before saying in a scared voice, "J-Joseph Nott."

"What was your division's purpose?" he hissed suddenly, looming over the young wizard and radiating an aura that seemed to burn the air, crackling with power and malevolence. There had to have been a reason that they had ambushed him without back-up, unless their commander was arrogant enough to think that they could take him down.

To his credit, the man gave a rather pathetic and futile attempt at resistance by saying in a quavering voice, "I won't tell you! You'll have t-to…" he trailed of, hacking and coughing up blood.

Gellert waited politely for the man's fit to subside before he said in a tone of absolute certainty, "Then I will take the information off you. And there is nothing you can do about it. So why don't you spare yourself the pain and discomfort by telling me?"

The auror remained silent, weakly struggling in his bonds and glaring at him in defiance. _Fool, _Gellert thought with scorn.

"Very well," Gellert said with a smile, pocketing his wand, "Your choice." As Gellert looked him in the eyes, his smile suddenly turned cruel. The auror barely had time to think that this was the first genuine smile he had been given before a blade of thought, honed to an almost infinitesimal point, pierced into the man's mind and battered aside his feeble Occulemency defences before searching for any memory related to the mission.

After a few moments of rummaging he found what he was looking for: The division of aurors that he had eliminated were gathered in a large, high ceilinged room, seated at a semi-circular table where a hard eyed man read from a sheaf of documents. Gellert listened, the words crashing over him in a jumble of sounds and sensations that clashed with the ones he was experiencing at the moment.

Due to this confusing situation, Gellert only caught a few sentences…_Use invasion force as distraction…Find the Dark Lord…Subdue if possible but eliminate if unable to…primary objective: Delay him to allow Dumbledore to arrive undetected…take out Grindelwald._

Gellert withdrew from the boy's mind in rage, violently ripping apart his mental defences. He stormed away and tried to apperate away from the street and the dazed auror, only to find that he was unable.

_Blasted anti-apparition wards! _Thought Gellert furiously, his vision turning red. How _dare_ those pathetic aurors even attempt to apprehend him! Against him, the most powerful dark lord to have ever lived!

He turned towards the auror, who visibly tried to shrink back from his gaze. Gellert gave him a look of absolute hatred and the auror's eyes rolled back in his head as he sagged in his bonds.

_"__Ennervate"_ he spat, jabbing his wand at the unconscious auror who jolted awake. _This puny, mindless worm will feel my anger! _Thought Gellert as he raised his wand. As it fell, a red light shot out of it and struck the auror, who immediately started screaming and writhing in agony. Gellert held the curse for a couple more seconds before lifting it, leaving the man panting on the ground. He promptly banished the auror into a crumbling wall, sending him crashing through it.

Turning away, Gellert started to run towards what he assumed to be the edge of the wards. As he neared the edge he slowed down, walking leisurely towards the boundary. He stepped outside the boundary and tried to apperate._ It's a trap, _Gellert realised as it failed to work yet again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement. He turned round slowly, easing his wand in its holster, as he faced the intruder.

This new man wore flowing blue robes and had a long auburn beard that was tucked into his belt. He was as tall as Gellert, with a long nose that looked like it had been broken and twinkling blue eyes his behind a pair of half-moon spectacles. He also radiated an aura like Gellert, though his was subtle and more calming. Albus Dumbledore stood tall in front of him, with his hands behind his back and the wind playing with his robes.

"Good evening Gellert," he said in a very relaxed, deep voice "You look well for a man whose empire is crumbling."

Gellert raised an eyebrow, looking as if he had all the time in the world before saying in an amused tone, "_Crumbling_, Albus. Crumbling is the key word. If I defeat you, I can rebuild it all. You are the sole obstacle in my path. Unlike those pathetic aurors." He finished by gesturing to the burnt and broken bodies of the elite wizards, as they lay in various positions.

Dumbledore looked over at the bodies of the men with a sorrowful yet resigned expression. Gellert studied him for a few moments before a smile slowly grew on his face as he said, "You knew this would happen to them, didn't you? And yet you let them be lead to their deaths…"

The new lines that showed in Dumbledore's face told Gellert everything he needed to know: That it was true that Dumbledore had knew and that he had struck a nerve.

Dumbledore looked very weary and worn before replying in a saddened voice, "I was opposed to the plan from the moment it was devised as they underestimated your prodigious skill, power and intellect. I surmised that you would suspect a trap and I know better than anyone how difficult you are to…contain, for want of a better term."

Gellert sneered before replying, "And to think that they had the stupidity and arrogance to actually believe that they could capture me. As for delaying me, well, they didn't last a minute! Sorry excuses for 'dark wizard catchers' aren't they?"

Dumbledore looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face before saying in a quiet voice, "You've changed my friend. I think that you now actually believe that this is all for the greater good."

Gellert let out a deep, rich laugh that echoed around the empty street. Dumbledore stood calmly as he waited for the gales of laughter to subside.

Still chuckling slightly, Gellert replied, "Of course it is! I've_ always_ believed that. Do you really believe that I would do all this for wealth? Glory? _Evil_? Even as I am hated and reviled by everyone at the moment, one day the world will look back and admire the sacrifices and struggles of Gellert Grindelwald, the greatest and most selfless wizard to have ever lived. The man that saved all of wizard kind. Perhaps I will even get my own chocolate frog card!"

"I could present speeches of counter- arguments and the flaws of the greater good, but I feel that we are getting a little off track here. The ultimatum has been given Gellert: Surrender and face justice, or I will be forced to arrest you," Dumbledore said, stepping backwards to give them space.

Gellert gave a sly smile before replying, drawing a 15" wand, made of grey elder wood with the core of a thestral's hair as he said triumphantly, "Arrest me while I possess _thi_s?! I have found it, Albus. I am now the owner of the Elder wand!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he looked from the wand to Gellert in surprise for a few moments before sighing, shaking his head and drawing his own wand as he said heavily, "There is nothing I can do to dissuade you then? No action I can undertake to convince you of the folly of your actions?"

Gellert shook his head, dropping his wand to let it hang loosely around his waist before replying, "No."

_So it begins, _he thought solemnly as Dumbledore's hand and his own tightened against their wands.

For a moment it seemed that the breeze and the distant sounds of war stopped, as if to hold their breath in anticipation of what was about to happen . Everything was silent.

Then Gellert struck, his wand blurring in a sweeping arc as he spun gracefully out of the way of the spell he knew would have hit him if he hadn't have moved. Sure enough, a bright yellow spell flew right through the empty space that he had been occupying just a few moments ago as Gellert finished the wand movement, firing of a flesh disintegration curse. He quickly followed it up by shooting off an impressive barrage of dark spells at Dumbledore.

The blasted man casually conjured rocks of granite to intercept all of them save the last that Gellert had fired at the area that Dumbledore was standing on at an incredible speed, forcing him to hastily conjure a powerful golden shield.

The black spell, the Nightmare Curse, smashed into the shield with incredible force and broke it, sending Dumbledore reeling backwards. Gellert studied his wand while Dumbledore tried to recover, a greedy smile forming on his face. The legendary power of the Elder wand was no myth, because breaking one of Dumbledore's shields was not something he was sure he could do without it.

He sent a powerful _Confringo_ at Dumbledore, who deflected it into a wall that exploded when it was hit with the curse. Dumbledore then summoned huge gout of water from his wand and propelled it like it was shot from a cannon at Gellert, who conjured a roaring stream of Fiendfyre that flew upwards into the sky like a pillar of flame that walled off the water and turned it to steam when touched.

He then manipulated the fire, sending it into the air as it took the form of a massive basilisk that hissed with a tongue of fire as it dived down towards Dumbledore. At the last moment, Gellert surprised the other man when he slashed his wand and split the basilisk in two before condensing it and redirecting it back as a huge, rolling wave of fire that seemed a mile high and wide towards the other wizard.

Dumbledore responded by whirling his wand and sending a tornado of air in the opposite direction that caught the fire, sending the both of the elements into the air as it became a swirling firestorm that uprooted trees, obliterating and incinerating them. Gellert and Dumbledore then started to trade blows, firing curses, countering them, deflecting them, using shields to protect themselves from the dangerous spells and releasing their entire arsenal of magic against their opponent.

This seemed to last for hours and they both did not notice that there were people, wizards if their clothing was any indication, watching who were too awed and terrified to interfere.

This display of knowledge reached his climax when Gellert deflected a powerful and well-aimed bludgeoning curse back at Dumbledore before whispering, "_Aractus Empi"._

Gellert had found and recovered many ancient spells and magical artefacts when he had been travelling the world and while visiting many obscure magical monuments and temples. He had discovered this particular spell when exploring the jungles of South America, etched into a tablet found inside a very well hidden chamber. It was a very useful spell, and the only one he knew of that could ignite a similar version of _priori incantatem, _though without revealing the last people killed by the wand. It was excellent for defeating skilled opponents by overwhelming them with his power when the magical phenomenon was initiated, though this probably would be useless against Dumbledore as he was at least as powerful as Gellert himself.

As the reflected bludgeoning spell ricocheted of Dumbledore's shield, Dumbldedore was momentarily blinded by the light given off as the spell bounced off the shield. Therefore, he was unprepared when a deep, dark bolt of purple lightning streaked from Gellert's wand at an incredible speed and crashed into Dumbledore's shield, fracturing it and weakening him as he tried to reinforce it.

The lightening crackled and pulsed against the shield, the stream being maintained by Gellert whose face was contorted in a rictus snarl. He concentrated, giving a surge of energy through the stream. Dumbledore was struggling to maintain the broken shield and this last surge of energy proved too much for him to contain. The lightening forked through the shield and shattered it, striking Dumbledore and lifting him off his feet to land painfully against a crumbling wall.

Gellert eyes blazed triumphantly as he sent several killing curses at Dumbledore, confident that he was victorious. Dumbledore suddenly rose from the ground, his previously crumpled body erecting itself as he twirled his wand and transfigured a nearby car into a huge block of steel that cracked and shattered under the power of Gellert's killing curses as they hit it. As it exploded, several very strong light spells shot from within, forcing Gellert to deflect them and making him lose his short lived advantage.

As Gellert batted away the spells, Dumbledore waved his wand and three huge stone golems rose out of the ground before they started lumbering towards Gellert. He roared in rage as one of them stamped the ground powerfully, the vibrations making him fall over as the other two moved in to restrain him. Gellert pointed his wand at the nearest one and shouted, "_Transmogrifian!"_ The golem fell to the ground, its hands attacking its body as it tried to pull itself apart while writhing on the ground. Gellert destroyed the other with a very powerful bludgeoning curse and spun around just to be struck by Albus' flame whip.

Staggering slightly before recovering his balance, Gellert flung out his arms with a scream of rage, releasing a powerful pulse of magic that obliterated the remaining golem that was making its way towards him and made Dumbledore fall to the ground, before he created another fiery whip and lashed out at Gellert who transfigured it into a snake, enlarging it using _Engorgio_ and banishing it towards his nemesis.

Dumbledore expertly vanished it and responded with a spell that uprooted the ground under Gellert. He sprang in the air using the featherweight charm and sent a steady stream of spells at Dumbledore while he flew that kept him occupied before he landed back on the ground, his robes swirling around him impressively.

Gellert raised his wand to the heavens as he summoned its power, the endless carpet of grey and black clouds in the sky swirling above him like a meteorological vortex. He manipulated the elements skilfully, releasing lightening down upon Dumbledore in huge quantities.

_It's so much easier to direct the strikes, rather than forcing them down_, he thought with pride in his ability as he watched Dumbledore's brow furrow concentration as he erected a dome of power around him, shielding him from the hail of bolts that were streaking from the skies. The ground around him turned scorched and blackened as the blots struck the dome, but he remained unharmed.

Gellert couldn't help but be slightly impressed at his old friends mastery of magic. _Maybe he isn't such a fool after all, _he thought as he casually deflected a fireball the size of a horse away from him, watching as it crashed into a building and made it explode in flame.

Gellert drew from the intense flames, forming a thick tentacle of Fiendfyre as he directed it towards Dumbledore, who backed away from the intense heat of the flames. Dumbledore drew his wand back and Gellert felt a surge of energy from him as he pointed towards the galloping chimeras of fire. The Fiendfyre exploded in a burst of magical energy, destroying the nearby houses. The on looking wizards were thrown to the ground by the backlash but Dumbledore and Gellert's magical power enabled them to resist the surge.

Gellert gestured and the flames then redirected themselves into a fire storm that enclosed around Dumbledore, encircling him closer and closer with each moment. As they drew very close to him, a bright light shone from within that forced Gellert to cover his eyes due to the sheer brilliance of it. _Such power! _Gellert mused as he wondered what Dumbledore was doing.

Suddenly the light expanded outwards at a great speed, consuming the flames. Gellert only had a moment to erect his strongest shield before it was upon him, searing his eyes and straining against his shield. A strong vertical wind howled and whipped past his robes, sending cars rolling down the ruined road. Somehow, Gellert was able to stay on his feet as the the fact flitted across his head as he struggled to maintain his shield that this shield was supposed to have stopped other things other than magic: Wind was one of them.

The amount of power that was pressed against his shield gradually increased, until finally a huge surge of magic obliterated his defense and blew him off his feet, landing next to what was left of a car. He still could not see Dumbledore from within the shining supernova of power. When the light touched him, Gellert suddenly got a warm feeling as if someone had placed a fluffy and familiar blanket around him. For a few minutes he lay there on the ground, trying to process what had happened and gather the energy to move at least an inch, which he seemed unable to do at the moment.

_Obviously he has used a powerful light spell, and an ancient one at that, _Gellert deduced as he shakily rose to his feet, mentally smacking himself in the head for blatant stupidity. He tried to cast a _Scurgify _on himself, and then it happened.

_Pain. _Blinding, burning, searing _pain._ It felt worse than the most powerful Crutiatus Curse_, _as if a thousand burning swords were slashing his skin and chopping off his fingers. Gellert writhed and shrieked on the ground in agony as Dumbledore watched in horror while trying to get up from the ground, his wand releasing a tendril of white smoke from the tip. After what felt like a century of pain, he finally regained enough coherent thought and control to try to stand up. He staggered, off balance as the world suddenly tilted.

He looked at Dumbledore, his face a mixture of anguish and rage and tried to say something that would-

**_Thud_**

It was difficult to describe in words what Gellert felt when he heard that…noise inside his head, if it could be described as that. To call it a sound would be like calling a mountain a pebble. Pain forced him to his knees, the muscles in his neck spasming and it was then that he realised that something was wrong_. Very_, _very _wrong. He could feel his magic pulsing and throbbing heavily, as if it was a conduit to something greater, something beyond his understanding.

**_Thud_**

He grunted as the pain increased by twofold, looking up to see what was happening. There were a large amount of wizards crowded in the street and a few aurors over by Dumbledore, helping him up. He pointed at Gellert and his face whitened before he shouted something that made the aurors hastily move over to him. He couldn't hear anything and vaguely wondered whether or not he had become blind. Gellert didn't care about his empire anymore or dreams of domination over muggles.

It had all suddenly, and strangely, become inconsequential in the face of this knew development. He would have given everything up at that moment for the pain to stop. _What did he do to me?! _he thought in a whisper, horrified by whatever had happened. Gellert could feel his magic, his beloved, _special_ magic, leaking out of his body. If it continued at the rate that it was going at the moment, then in a few minutes he would become a squib. The thought _mortified_ him. Then he felt it, the strange feeling that occurred before…_it_ happened. He braced himself, steeling his mind and strengthening his Occulemency defences.

**_Thud_**

Gellert screamed as more pain than he ever could have imagined flooded his body, ripping apart his Occulemency walls. The world exploded into a maelstrom of colours, sensation, feelings and sounds as he felt his mind burn. The last thing he heard before he was torn away from the physical plane was Albus' now trembling voice whisper, "_What have I done_?!"

**XxXxX**

_Gellert seemed to fly through space and time at a speed beyond light, passing strange and beautiful sights, incredible powers beyond the realm of human comprehension and the voices of all the generations of the worlds that have been and would be, singing and crooning to him as he hurtled through everything. It was no longer terrifying, this experience. Whatever was happening to him now seemed to strip him of emotions, memories and personality. He could only hold on to his very essence, who he was, as he slowly degenerated from an adult wizard to a teenager, a young child, a baby, an embryo and-_

_Nothing. _

**XxXxXxX**

Gellert Mercedonius Grindelwald was born on the 7th of February 1980 in East Berlin, Germany. When he was 4, his father moved to Scotland with him and purchased a rather large Unplottable house near the north, were it was bitterly cold, after his mother died in an accident when experimenting with strange artefacts in the German Ministry. Gellert never got to know her. Her name was Lucilia.

As he grew up, it became apparent to his father and close family friends that Gellert was going to become an unusually powerful wizard someday. He had begun accidental bursts of wandless magic since he was able to walk and by the time he was 6 he was able to control it, using it consciously whenever he wanted something that he couldn't reach, like a biscuit tin on a high shelf.

It was also revealed that he was extremely intelligent. Gellert could pick up German and English very quickly and he was able to grasp the theories from his father's book _Magical Theory by Albert Waffling _with an almost frightening understanding. His father, Graham Grindelwald, allowed Gellert to have any book he liked as long as he obeyed certain rules: Keeping the amount he wanted in one go within reason and nothing that included Dark Magic. Graham was quite relieved at the confused look on his 8 year old son's face when he mentioned Dark Magic, as he knew that Gellert would learn everything about it given an opportunity if only for the sake of learning.

Gellert was an only child and as a result, was a little spoiled by his father. They came from a rather recent and averagely wealthy pureblood family, but due to Graham's high connections in the Ministry in Germany, he was able to obtain a very good job as a researcher in the Ministry: An Unspeakable. It was a well-paying job and due to Graham's inventiveness he quickly rose high up in the ranks and due to this, the Grindelwald family had become quite well off.

Gellert had a large room to himself that contained a big bed, a bookshelf, an oak wardrobe and a desk nest to the bookshelf. His room had a very nice, relaxing view of the wild yet beautiful countryside of Scotland. He was very interested in magic and most of his bookshelf was steadily being filled up with textbooks and tomes on magic.

He had arranged them like so: One shelf for the history of the Wizarding world and recent events, one including many less obvious subjects of magic like Arithmacy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures another dedicated to all of the core subjects that he would take at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hogwarts seemed like a magnificent place to Gellert, who was now 10 years old and reading a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. According to the book, Hogwarts had been built around the late 900's by the four most powerful witches and wizards of the time: Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. Each founder had created houses based on themselves and the personalities and traits of the person decided on the house they went to. An example could be a very brave and chivalrous person being sorted into Gryffindor or a very sly and ambitious person being sorted into Slytherin. The castle was also protected by very powerful wards and was practically impenetrable. It had all sounded very exciting and he had begged his father to let him go when he had found out about it.

To his horror, he had discovered that his father had enrolled him in Durmstrang Institute for Magic already; the sole reason being that his father had been educated there, but after hearing about Hogwarts' reputation Graham had decided to put his name down for Hogwarts. He had not stopped thanking his father for a week, despite Graham's exasperated protests that he was his father and it was his job to make him happy.

Gellert _loved _magic. To him, it was very fascinating and by the time he was 10 he had vowed to learn everything about magic. Therefore, he couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts and get his wand so that he could finally practise the spells read about in his books. So far, he found Transfiguration and Charms the most interesting but they also seemed the most difficult. Gellert liked a challenge, so this did not bother him in the slightest.

Another thing that interested him greatly was the First Wizarding war between You-Know-Who and the British Ministry of Magic. Apparently, according to _Great Wizarding Events of the twentieth century_ the Dark Lord had seemingly materialised from nowhere before starting a reign of terror against muggleborns, half-bloods and muggles. Due to this wizard's incredible power, mastery of the Dark Arts and fanatical followers, defeat had seemed inevitable as the war drew on. Then, a miracle or what seemed like one occurred on the 31st of October 1981, a year after Gellert was born. The Dark Lord had travelled to Godric's Hollow to eliminate one of his most staunch opponents: The Potters, an ancient and wealthy light family. However, even after he defeated and killed Lily and James Potter he had decided to turn his wand on the child, Harry.

Whatever had happened after that was vague at the most and the subject of a large amount of speculation over the last 10 years, but somehow the Dark Lord had been destroyed by a child. Gellert could remember well his father telling him the story at night in a hushed whisper, as Gellert sat huddled in his bed with his eyes wide, the dim light of the candles reflecting off them as he listened fearfully yet intently to the story. The boy with the scar of lightening destroying the most feared Dark Lord in the last 300 years.

To his surprise, and delight, it seemed that his father had not told him one untrue word about the story. Indeed, it seemed that he had included everything and left nothing out as both _Great_ _Wizarding Events of the twentieth century _and _Modern Magical History_ corroborated his story. The only thing that seemed to be unknown was where the boy, Harry, was now.

According to the books, Harry had vanished off the face of the Earth with only Albus Dumbledore's assurances that he was being kept somewhere safe for protection against any remaining Death Eaters and that he would be attending Hogwarts when he reached 11.

Gellert was very excited about that. _Maybe I can meet him in person _he thought as he idly flipped through a book on very dense charm theory.

**Diagon Alley**

**Grindelwald Manor, (July 1****st**** 1991)**

The year seemed to fly by in a blur as it grew closer for his time to go receive his acceptance letter for Hogwarts until finally, when he was eating his breakfast with his father on his 11th birthday; a large brown owl flew through the open window and landed on the table, holding a letter. His meal forgotten, Gellert snatched the letter from the owl, who gave him a dirty look before flying off, and ripped it open with a greedy expression on his face, his father looking amused as he read.

He put down the letter after he had finished reading it, a smile forming on his face as he looked at his father.

"We have to go to Diagon Alley to get the school supplies," Gellert said with an excited grin.

His father smiled back before replying in a happy voice, "Yes, we do."

Gellert bounded from the chair, knocking it over as he bounced up the stairs to get ready to go while thinking back on all the things he had to buy. Downstairs his father shook his head ruefully, blond strands of hair falling from his face as he recalled his sons excited expression. He knew the boy would fall in love with the castle and would probably never want to leave.

The next day, Gellert and his father floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron early in the morning, saying hello to Tom the barman and a man called Professor Quirell who was apparently going to be his defence teacher for the next year. Gellert stepped forward and shook the man's outstretched hand before looking him in the eyes. As he did so, he felt a gentle sort of…_caress_ inside his head. It was a very peculiar feeling.

Quirell's eyes widened in shock before he withdrew his hand and ordered a drink, quickly turning away from Gellert. Confused and slightly upset by this odd behaviour, his father and he stepped outside the shop at the back. His father took out his wand and tapped it against an innocent looking brick wall. As he did so, the bricks slowly retracted inwards to reveal Diagon Alley, in all its beauty.

Witches and wizards of all ages and social classes bustled around, attending to their business. The shops were tightly packed together and this enabled there to be a lot of interesting places to go in the street, to Gellert's delight.

Gellert quickly zoned in to Flourish and Blots, his father having to walk quickly to keep up with him as he made a beeline for the shop. When they were inside, Gellert bought all his school books and more, purchasing third year books on transfiguration, charms and defence. They left almost an hour later with a large stack of books and a very happy smile on Gellert's face.

They went to a few other shops such as Madam Malkin's and the apothecary before trying to find Ollivander's. Graham's quickly spotted the gold lettering and the sign. They made their way over and walked inside, the bell tinkling as the door shut and drowned out all the noise of the alley.

An old man sat behind the desk, his blue eyes sparkling beneath his bushy white eyebrows as he studied them.

"I don't believe we have met before, have we?" Ollivander said in a quivery old voice, his eyes locked onto Graham. Ollivander walked over to them as Graham shook his head. He outstretched his had to Graham, asking, "May I?" He hardly waited for the nod before snatching his father's wand, examining it from all angles.

"A Gregorovitch wand, unless I am very much mistaken. Oak, 10" and…unicorn hair?" he said as he gave back his wand before turning to Gellert.

"Now let's get this young man a wand!"

It was a very strange process to Gellert, as Ollivander took measurements of many areas that did not seem relevant to the wand at all. Fingers and hands he could understand but _feet?_ _Nostril width?_ It all seemed very stupid to him. After a few more minutes of ridiculous measurement, he started handing Gellert wands, muttering to himself when did not work.

It was taking a long time, but Gellert was very confident that he would get a wand. He_ would_ learn magic. Finally, Ollivander handed him a wand while saying, "Oh my, what a beautiful combination! 12", Dragon Heartstring and cherry. Give it a try!"

Gellert, becoming weary at the continued failure, absent mindedly took the wand. The moment his hand curled around the wand, he felt a rush of warmth and power flow up his arm. He flicked his hand towards the wall and a silvery light streaked towards it, exploding and releasing hundreds of bubbles on impact.

"Well done, well done!" Ollivander said happily, clapping his hands, "That wand is one of the most powerful I have ever created: very good for spell work and excellent for duelling. That will be 7 Galleons Mr. Grindelwald."

They exited the shop, Gellert staring at his new wand while his father patted his back proudly. _A powerful wand to suit a powerful wizard_ he thought ecstatically as they stepped into the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, disappearing in a swirl of green flames. Had they stayed a couple of moments longer, they would have seen a huge man with a scruffy beard and small, skinny boy enter the bar.

XxXxX

**Making friends and Hogwarts**

**Grindelwald Manor, (September 1****st****)**

Gellert looked himself in the full-body mirror, smoothing down his school robes and checking that his wand was in his pocket. Today was the day that he boarded the Hogwarts express and started his glorious journey of learning magic. His blond hair was neatly cut and his black boots were polished to a shine. Once again checking to make sure that everything was in order and there, he grabbed his suitcase and walked downstairs to meet his father, who equally well dressed.

Graham grabbed Gellert's arm and then, with a pop, they apparated. _Side-along apparition is quite an unpleasant experience,_ he thought drily as he tried not to feel sick from the weird sensation that he was experiencing. As they swirled around randomly for a few seconds, the living room blurring before the colours slowly changed. They stopped spinning and Gellert took a few moments to compose himself before looking around.

They were in a train station, Kings Cross by the look of it, though the entire section was covered with wizards: Parents wishing their children goodbye and conductors helping people on with their luggage. _Platform 9 and 3 quarters then, _Gellert deduced as his father tapped him on the shoulder.

When he turned around, his father spoke to him.

"Good luck, son. I know you will have the time of your life. I enjoyed Durmstrang, but Hogwarts is rumoured to be even better. I will be disappointed if you do not get the best marks in your year, _understood?"_

Gellert just grinned and said with a smirk, "I'd have to try really hard not to. I'll write often."

Graham's eyes became a little moist before he said quietly, "Lucilia would have been proud," He then walked away, weaving his way between the other witches and wizards. Gellert didn't mind the sudden departure because he knew that his father found goodbyes difficult.

Turning towards the train, he cast a quick featherweight charm on his suitcase before lifting it up and walking briskly towards the entrance of the express.

He climbed on and a few seconds later he heard the blow of a whistle, indicating that the train was about to leave. He looked around for an empty compartment before finding one, sitting in it and taking out his book on third year transfiguration. Minutes past quickly, and Gellert soon found himself bored.

He put his book away before taking out his first year charm book as he searched for some human company on the train. He soon found a compartment that contained a red-headed boy and a skinny, dark haired student that looked as though he had just arrived. The second boy wore a pair of oversized robes that almost completely hid his form and his black hair was so messy that Gellert felt disorganised just by looking at him, squashing the impulse to check his that his hair was neat.

Gellert sat next to the dark haired boy and opened his book, practising the wand movement subtly so that he did not irritate the other people in the compartment.

The red-headed boy looked awkward at the silence that ensued before he abruptly turned to him and said, "What's your name then?"

Gellert smirked at him before giving a mock bow and replying, "Gellert Grindelwald, at your service," and outstretching his hand. The boy took it and mumbled, "Ron Weasley."

Gellert was surprised for a moment before saying curiously, "Doesn't your father work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office?"

Ron's eyes widened before he grinned and leaning forward asking, "How do you know?"

Gellert returned the grin, saying, "My dad's an unspeakable, a really high ranking one. He told me about your dad, once or twice. The department of mysteries and that office work quite closely."

It was at this moment that that the dark haired boy spoke up saying, "What's an unspeakable?"

"An unspeakable is someone who works for the Ministry of Magic, the magical government. They work in the Department of mysteries, researching magic and creating new magical objects," Gellert said, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Are you muggleborn?"

The boy shook his head before replying, "No, My mum and dad were magical. I was raised by muggles."

"What's your name then?" Ron asked curiously.

"Harry Potter," he replied. Gellert and Ron's eyes widened as they took in the fact that this skinny little boy was the saviour of the Wizarding world.

"Can…Can we see it?" Ron asked tentatively. Gellert mentally smacked his head, annoyed by Ron's insensitivity and he was about to berate him before he saw that Harry was actually going to show them it. Pulling up his bangs of black hair, he revealed a lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Gellert gave Harry's scar such a piercing, studious look that Harry began to shift a little bit.

Seeing Harry's discomfort Gellert looked away, staring out of the window at the blurring countryside while his mind whirred as he thought of the scar. He was sure that it was not his imagination, but he thought that he had felt a… presence or energy leaking off of it for a moment. The feeling had been cold and oily, like grease. Yet despite that, it was strangely_… intoxicating_.

Harry and Ron had just started a conversation about Hogwarts and the houses. Gellert wasn't sure about house he was going to be sorted into, though he thought he might be chosen for Ravenclaw. He returned to practising the wand movement for the tickling charm and when he was halfway through the movement, a sharp rap sounded on the compartment. Gellert looked at Harry and Ron who had stopped their conversation.

At their nods of confirmation, Gellert called out, "Come in."

The door slid open to admit a bushy haired, buck toothed girl and a nervous boy who looked like he was about to cry. The girl looked at them for a moment and opened her mouth before seeing Gellert's wand in his right hand.

"Are you doing magic?" she asked in a high pitched voice. Without waiting for a response, she said, "Let's see it then!"

Gellert through an exasperated look at Harry, even though he was secretly pleased to be able to show how good he was without looking like he was showing off. Pointing his wand at Ron, he said, "_Rictusempra."._ A silvery light shot out at the end of his wand and hit Ron, making him fall to the floor laughing uncontrollably.

Harry and the girl laughed. Even the nervous boy chuckled along with Gellert as he put his wand away. After a few seconds the spell wore off and Ron rose to his feet brushing off dirt from his robes, looking slightly annoyed but mostly amused.

After they stopped, the girl said, "My name his Hermione Granger. What's yours?"

"Gellert. Gellert Grindelwald," he said with a friendly smile. "This is Ron Weasley," Ron gave a little wave, ", and Harry Potter."

Hermione instantly launched into a big speech about all the books that she had read about him and how much she knew about him. Gellert had read all those books and quite a few others. He was quite surprised to find out that she was muggleborn, because she knew so much.

He was not predjuced, like some other members of pureblood society, but he and his father strongly disliked the idea of muggleborns entering their world and trying to change the Ministry. They often did not understand enough about the Wizarding society to make changes that made sense to the majority.

_It seems like she reads a lot, _thought Gellert as he listened to her informing them that she had already learned most of the spells in Miranda Gawshock's first volume.

He slowly started listening more intently as she revealed the reason that they were in the compartment in the first place. "…Neville here lost his toad, and I was trying to look for it. Do any of you mind helping?"

"Allow me," Gellert said smugly, drawing his wand and intoning the words, "_Accio_ Neville's Toad!" After a few seconds, there was a muffled thump on the door.

"_Trevor_!" cried Neville as he opened the door and enveloped the green and rather large toad in his arms. This time Hermione looked impressed at his spell work, along with everyone else in the carriage.

"How much do you actually know?" she questioned, standing up to leave as she checked the time.

Gellert smiled before replying, "I've memorised the all the first and second year spells." Technically this was true, though Gellert had left out the fact that he had also memorised all of the first and second year material.

He was not really sure about how he was on the practical side of things, but those were the first two spells he had actually ever attempted to cast and he had performed them excellently, just as the book said they should be like, though he had already memorised the wand movement almost to perfection for all of the spells that he had looked at so far.

Hermione gave him an appraising look before leaving with Neville. Gellert, Ron and Harry got changed into their school robes when a prefect came in and informed them that they would be stopping at Hogwarts in 7 minutes. The trolley witch came by and Harry and Ron bought some sweets. Gellert purchased a few chocolate frog cards, hoping to add more to his collection. To hiss disappointment, he only got Merlin, Helga Hufflepuff and Herpo the Foul. Harry had gotten Dumbledore and seemed very interested in the venerated old wizard.

After getting ready, they gathered their belongings and waited for the train to stop. As it did so, Gellert felt a tingle of excitement. He was actually going to Hogwarts. They left the train after arranging their luggage in the baggage compartment, with their names clearly labelled, and followed the rest of the first year. They all seemed to be congregating around a giant of a man by the name of Hagrid. He was shouting loudly for the first years to follow him down a small, beaten path that led and winded itself through a forest. _I wonder if there is any magical creatures in this area..., _thought Gellert as he batted away a branch, peering into the trees as if he could reveal them by using the intensity of his look.

They eventually found a small dock and filed into rowing boats that were moored around it. He, Ron, Harry and Neville shared one as they set off at a fast pace down the loch, following Hagrid's directions. After a few minutes of tireless rowing, they caught their first glimpse of the school. He heard the many '_Ooooo's_' of his peers and barely stopped himself from making the same noise

Gellert loved it at first sight. He had never seen anything so magical: The castle itself clung onto a mountain at such an angle that it looked impossible to be made with magic, the sand coloured stone that it was made of and the area around it seemed to hum and sing with energy and the way the lights from the countless towers reflected off the dark, tranquil surface of the Scottish lake was simply stunning.

He was so enraptured by the sight that he found his legs moving with almost a mind of their own as they disembarked. Hagrid left them in the hands of a sour looking prefect that curtly ordered them to follow him. They ascended the wide staircases until they found themselves under the intense scrutiny of stern looking witch wearing dark green robes.

She started off by telling them that she was Professor McGonagall and that she taught Transfiguration, a field of magic that was very scientific in nature. Gellert perked up at this until he realised that she was not going to be elaborating on her subject, instead electing to tell them about all the different houses of Hogwarts. He slowly tuned her out, he already knew how the house system worked, but kept an open ear for anything new or unfamiliar. He also did not miss the triumphant smirk that the aristocratic blond boy gave his friends when she said the word, "Slytherin."

Judging from the boys hair, a platinum blond that was a lot paler than Gellert's, and the way he styled it by slicking it back in the pureblood fashion, Gellert discerned that this boy was probably a Malfoy.

Their family had apparently been heavily involved with the Dark Lord and had claimed that they were under the Imperious curse when the aurors came for them after You-Know-Who's defeat. _How the ministry was stupid enough to believe them, I'll never know, _he thought with scorn as they were lead into the Great Hall.

Huge tables were gathered in an orderly, vertical fashion with each representing individual houses due to the colours on the tablecloths and banners hanging above them. Many students from the older years were there already, chatting and pointing at the new first years that were coming inside in a steady stream of people. Most of the first years were staring at the ceiling or perhaps more accurately, the enchanted veiling along with the floating candles.

Making a mental note to look up how to enchant, Gellert followed the rest of the first years along the space in between the middle two tables. As they were walking up, Gellert noticed an old and scruffy looking hat lying innocently on a wooden stool at the end, directly in front of the Professor's table. Behind the table sat several witches and wizards of all ages. Gellert recognised Professor Quirrell from the Leaky Cauldron.

There was one person that stood out from the others though. Albus Dumbledore. Gellert had great respect for the man, which was not something that he had for very many people. He had read many books on the ancient wizard's famous achievements, such as the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon blood, his ground-breaking work in the field of transfiguration, his study of Alchemy and finally his unification and creation of the African Ministry of Magic. Apart from Harry Potter and the Dark Lord, he was the most famous wizard of the twentieth century and probably the most famous in the last 500 years.

Gellert tore his eyes away from the powerful wizard, focusing back onto the hat. There was something odd about it, something that he couldn't quite place…. His suspicions were confirmed when the brim of this raggedy old hat _opened_ and actually began to sing! It was very humorous and unexpected, which caused most of the first year to laugh and everyone else to talk among themselves, as if it was nothing new. Gellert, after getting past the initial hilarity of the moment, wondered if the hat was enchanted or animated and if so, who had done it.

Professor McGonagall walked briskly up to the stool before clearing her throat and picking up the hat, saying, "When I call your name, you will come up, sit on the stool. First up, Abbot, Hannah!"

A first year girl extracted herself from the crowd before walking up to McGonagall, who gestured to the stool. When she sat on it, the Professor placed the hat upon the girl's head. After about thirty seconds of an awkward silence, the brim of the hat opened up again and shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

Hannah placed the hat carefully back down and skipped happily off towards what Gellert presumed was the Hufflepuff table, its members cheering and clapping as she sat down.

Professor McGonagall started shouting more names, the sounds fading as Gellert pondered what house he would be in. _Ravenclaw, probably…,_ he mentally reiterated as the list drew closer to his name. Eventually, McGonagall shouted, "Grindelwald, Gellert."

Summoning every ounce of courage he possessed, Gellert made his way towards the hat, giving the impression of confidence. Inside though, his heart was pounding, as this was the first time that he had been looked at so intently by so many people. He and his father had lived a rather quiet life, only really meeting other people every couple of months or at celebrations. It was quite unnerving, really.

He sat down on the stool and steeled himself as she placed the hat on his head.

"_Ah, what have we here..."_

Gellert nearly fell the stool when he heard the voice inside his head. He listened attentively to the hat as it started to debate his qualities…

"…_natural Occulmency shields at such a young age …hmm…could be an indication of a cautious nature and a placement in Slytherin, as you have ambition in shovelfuls and a burning desire for the world to know your power…and, oh my, what power it is indeed! Ravenclaw would also be very beneficial for your studious habits and love for magic. As would Hufflepuff, believe it or not as your hard working nature would do you well and enable you to eventually integrate into that house. You also are very brave. Not quite the impulsive bravery that Gryffindors are known for, but it is still bravery and you have a sense of honour, albeit a slightly strange and twisted one. I am, as of yet, undecided. What house would you like to go to, Gellert?"_

After getting past the initial annoyance of getting any part of him being described as 'strange' or 'twisted', he thought hard for a few moments but his mind came up surprisingly blank, which didn't happen often.

"_I…I don't know really. They all seem like very impressive houses…" _he thought, trying to think of the best thing to do in this situation.

The hat's quiet voice chuckled inside his head as it said, "_Ever the diplomat, Gellert. The last time that I was faced with a dilemma such as this was when Albus was being sorted."_

Gellert was startled to say the least. "_Albus, as in Albus Dumbledore?" _the hat did not reply, muttering to itself for a few moments before sighing heavily and saying with a tone of finality, "_I will do as I did last time, Gellert." _

Before he even had a chance to respond, the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Professor McGonagall took the hat off him as he sat up, giving him a warm yet stern smile as he passed by her on the way to the Lions' table, who had burst into applause. They seemed very welcoming, so Gellert fought his instinct to scoot to the empty space at the end of the bench and read a book, instead sitting next to a pair of red-headed twins that resembled Ron greatly while wondering what 'Occulemency' was.

Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor straight after Gellert was, after a good few minutes of fierce whispering with the hat, and sat next to him. They started speaking about trivial, yet interesting, things such as what enchantments had been placed on the candles until the name , "Potter, Harry," was called out.

Unsurprisingly, the whole hall and even the teachers table was deathly silent as Harry's skinny form sat on the chair, the hat nearly enveloping his whole head. Everyone, including the staff, watched intently as Harry's expressions cycled between inquisitiveness, shock, to anger, to fear, back to shock and more fear before he adopted a determined expression the moment before the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Gellert released a breath that he did not realise that he had ben holder before scowling in annoyance. He was not some fanatical follower who desperately longed to know the every move of his idol, and Harry was most certainly _not _his idol!

The Gryffindor table exploded into cheers as Harry made his way toward them with a relieved expression on his face, strangely enough. The Weasley twins sitting next to Gellert were shouting, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter," over and over. Harry's face was burning in embarrassment, and Gellert couldn't blame him; the amount of people clapping was overwhelming, more than had been clapping for anyone else.

The sorting continued without anything else particularly interesting happening: the blond ponce was sorted into Slytherin and Ron was sorted into Gryffindor.

After the sorting finished, the headmaster stood up and stepped towards the students before clearing his throat and welcoming the new first years to Hogwarts, going on to talk about new rules that were in place and welcoming the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirell. Gellert remembered him from the Leaky Cauldron, the man that gave him a rather shocked look for some reason.

Dumbledore continued with his speech, before warning them that they should stay away from the third floor corridor unless they wanted to receive a very painful and premature death. Gellert, naturally, was intrigued and he immediately wanted to know why something so dangerous would be placed in a school full of children.

The headmaster finished his speech with a flourish, snapping his fingers. Instantly, every plate in the hall was filled with all sorts of delicious food. Gellert was very hungry after the events of the day, but restrained himself from grabbing the food and ramming it down his throat like an uncultured barbarian.

He ate in a dignified and reserved way that indicated that he was the heir of a pureblood family; even if the family in question was not particularly old or distinguished and showed that he at least was someone with manners. Ron was different, however, and Gellert could not help but be amused when he began grabbing large portions of food, startling others who were reaching for the same thing.

Harry, on the other hand, didn't eat as much as he should have, which was concerning given his skinny form. Watching Harry pick at this scrumptious food and not take a single full bite was a little strange, and Gellert briefly wondered if he was just not hungry before removing the thought from his mind.

Hermione followed Gellert's example, eating her food quietly without bothering her peers with any loud chewing noises. Gellert took a moment to part himself from the meal and examine her. The way she sat with a straight back, the expression that seemed to always be on her face, a slightly snobby look, and the way she ate all screamed to Gellert of education and privilege.

All purebloods were taught about proper etiquette in public, how to read people and the traditions and history of the Wizarding world as they were growing up. Since his family was not very important in pureblood circles, Gellert's father had not really thought that he should focus on teaching Gellert these skills to any great extent.

Therefore, Gellert was relatively inexperienced in these matters compared to other purebloods his age. He didn't care how others saw him in public though and did not bother to look like a respectable pureblood, apart from basic things such as manners. Of course, there were others like that Malfoy boy at the Slytherin table who had clearly not bothered with remembering their lessons and who Gellert was better than in those areas. This number of people was very few however.

After a few minutes of talking to Hermione and an interesting fifth year called Percival Weasley, who was Ron's brother. They were having an interesting conversation on the O.W.L Exams which Percy described as, "The foundation block for any self-respecting witch or wizard's plans for the future."

Their conversation was stopped when Dumbledore silenced the hall with a sonorous charm before saying in a jovial tone, "Now that we are all fed and watered, I will ask for the prefects to take the students to the common room."

There was a great scraping of benches and the murmur of conversation as the students stood up and exited the great hall. Following Percy, the new Gryffindor first years trudged all the way up towards the 7th floor. Gellert could not help but marvel at everything around him. The ghosts were fascinating, the magical portraits made conversation with each other and the students as they passed and the architecture was simply stunning.

After a while they finally stopped in front of a portrait of a fat lady wearing a hideous pink dress, who was warbling to a wine glass. Grinning at the daftness of what he was seeing, Gellert watched as Percy stepped towards the lady and said in a tired voice, "Caput Draconis."

The woman stopped long enough to allow the portrait to open before resuming her screeching. Wincing as he entered the common room, Gellert examined the place that he would spend most of his teenage years relaxing in.

It was quite a large room, with comfy looking red sofas and armchairs along with a roaring red fire. A beautiful, fluffy looking carpet embroidered in red and gold lay in the centre of the room and portraits of witches and wizards were hung around the room, cheering and welcoming them to Gryffindor house. All in all, it gave the place a rather cosy feeling.

Gellert looked around as everyone entered, a smile growing on his face as he plopped down on a sofa near the fire. _I could get used to this! _He thought, stretching his weary limbs out before the fire.

After about half an hour of conversing with his classmates, mostly Ron, Hermione and Harry, Percy came in and shouted at them all to go to bed. Seeing the wisdom in getting some rest before such an important day, Gellert followed Harry and Ron up to the boys room where they decided on the sleeping arrangement. Harry slept in between Gellert and Ron, Gellert being on the right.

After everyone got ready for bed and when he was comfortably nestled in, Gellert took his third year book on transfiguration out of his trunk before shutting his curtains and casting the Lumos charm.

As he read, the noises of the other boys' conversation slowly dwindled out as they all fell asleep. Gellert closed _Intermediate Transfiguration_ after finishing the chapter on Anamagi, placing the book into his bag and putting the covers over him, wondering what tomorrow would hold.


End file.
